So this is it, it’s the end of my first (but certainly not last) trip to Maui. It’s a pity the last two months had so few sailing days, but at least it ended on right note, and I also don’t forget I had some amazing surf and certainly progressed that way. Anyways, it’s time to head for western Australia now, but first, a few days in New Zealand.
Before I talk about the city of Auckland, I need to write a little about the joy of flying with windsurfing equipment. It’s really a wonder our sport isn’t more popular, when you consider how easy and convenient it is to travel around the world with our gear. Yes, this is sarcasm. Even though I had the smallest quiver one can have (one board, three sails), packed in one relatively small and compact bag, it was a stinging pain in my butt the whole way. I think it could have been Hercules’ thirteenth labor. Not only was it way harder and physically demanding than I imagined (and want to admit), but the airline staff (the first one at least), looked like they were on a mission to make my life harder.
My flight for Auckland wasn’t leaving from Kahului, Maui, it was leaving from Honolulu, henceforth I had to take a quick flight with Hawaiian airlines (20 min). Every passenger on those flights is allowed two checked luggage. Normally, their baggage policy is that no bag, even oversized, can excess 70 pounds. This is not the combined weight, it’s the maximum weight of any bag. The reason then, as to why they do not allow people to take one 40 pound bag, and one 90 pound bag (like I had), which fits in their weight per passenger ratio, I imagine, is that they do not want their staff to exhaust themselves. The solution, then, should be to ask a surcharge, but Hawaiian airlines does not. They simply refuse any bag over 70 pounds, no discussion. This truly stuns me, when you think that just about every single windsurfer in the world ends up going through that airport at one point or another in his or her life. I find it impossible to believe that there is no way to check a bag over 70 pounds, but that lady behind the HA counter had no time to discuss. I tried, but she was not interested. In consequence, I had to abandon my board on Maui, and attach one of my sails on my travel bag with tape, in order to make my quiver bag under 70 pounds. Silly.
It’s crazy how I argued for about half-an-hour with the HA staff for absolutely nothing, when it took about 3 min with Air New Zealand to check me in, without even weighing my board bad or asking me for a surcharge (I paid 35 USD to have HA take my very big sail bag).
Lesson : don’t fly to Honolulu with gear.
After 15 hours of transit, I arrived in beautiful New Zealand, in the city of Auckland. Not that much to say about my first two days here, it’s pretty much just a city. Anyways here are a few pics.
‘Til next time.
-F.
SALUT François, c’est moi ta fidèle admiratrice…!! J’aimerais bien que tu tombes amoureux de la Nouvelle Zélande, et que tu veuilles y rester quelques mois, comme cela je viendrais te voir…. mais bon, en attendant, continues à envoyer les photos!!
yolande.
I am shocked by your problems with the air, head, line.. they are always so great… crap. A bit of a loss but you bounce back in a positive manner. I saw your folks two weeks ago and I was schocked that you will not be home until August… your Mom was sad to because Simone has gone to the crash games and your sister is going to England, for the food I guess, and your Mom says the house is getting very quite. Well Alexandre turned 9 on the 5th of Feb, I have treible cold which he gave me, hence he sleeps in the garage. This is a mild no snow winter.. so that is good. We are going to the Bahamas in two weeks, you will be missed. I am nude, Graham